Benjamin Hochman

Hochman: 20/20 vision: Peyton Manning bows out before 2020

Peyton Manning, the only five-time MVP in NFL history, turns 38 on March 24. He has a 28-8 record in starts for the Broncos going into his third season with the team, which is the defending AFC champion. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

Snap decision. Peyton Manning is getting up there in age and we all know the Broncos' window is closing. Is this Manning's last year?

Adam Brubaker @Adam_brubaker4

Hochman: It's a fun debate and definitely the NFL's equivalent to a "first-world problem," as they say: If Peyton wins the Super Bowl, will he retire on top? Conversely, if he suffers a major injury and has to endure an arduous comeback, will he just call it a career? It's hard to truly know what's going in the dome of Manning, but my guess is he will play two more seasons, barring injury. It's not apples and apples, but we saw it in this city before — a high-30s quarterback wins the Super Bowl and doesn't retire on top (only to come back, win another one and retire probably as well "on top" as anyone in sports history). My wild-card guess: If Denver goes undefeated and wins the Super Bowl, maybe then Peyton is like, "How can anyone top this?"

Time to panic. What's the plan if Manning gets injured? (Brock) Osweiler or try to sign a vet? Say Week 2-3 of the season? A lot invested for no ring.

Christopher Kapell @KingScally

Hochman: The Broncos clearly are invested in Robert Pattinson look-alike Brock Osweiler. He's a high-round draft pick put under the tutelage of Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase and others on the staff. If Peyton goes down, knowing that Osweiler knows the system, Denver will likely look to him, at least in the short term. Of course, we don't know just yet which vet could be sitting at home, waiting for the 303 area code to pop up.

Also, I have to say: So many people in our town connect Osweiler to seemingly automatic failure. Like it's "We'd better win now with Peyton because after him is Osweiler." I say it's "Denver had better win now with Peyton, because he might be the greatest QB ever, but let's not jump to any conclusions about ol' Brock until, you know, he actually starts a regular-season game."

Nuggets need help. I can easily come up with scenarios where the Rox, Broncos or Avs win it all. Can you give me a legit one for the Nugs in five years?

Taylor Osieczanek @TOsieczanek

Hochman: I see what you're saying. In a star-driven league, the Nuggets don't have any stars. And it's hard to not see one of seven teams not win the next five NBA Finals: the Heat, Pacers, Thunder, Clippers, Spurs, Rockets and the Bulls as a wild card, depending on free agency and Derrick Rose's return. The optimist says Denver will hit in this year's lottery, nabbing a key starter. That optimist then says, "Who knows? Maybe the lineup of Ty Lawson-some awesome draft pick-Danilo Gallinari-Kenneth Faried-JaVale McGee can vie for a title?" But like you said, it's hard to think this current group can ascend this high in that window. But I have faith in general manager Tim Connelly, who has a sharp reputation in NBA circles.

I also received a question from @jboudreau3, who wrote: "In the words of Seinfeld, Wilson Chandler is nothing but a Chucker. Will the Nugs try to move him in the offseason?"

Here's what I say: It's my sense that the Nuggets aren't married to anyone on this roster. Maybe they're "engaged" to Lawson, so to speak. But at this point, they can't (and won't) be afraid to move any player if they think it can help the team overall.

Best of Bubba. Can Bubba Caldwell replicate (Eric) Decker's production from last year if given the opportunity?

Jamie And Connie RT @jamieandconnie: @hochman

Hochman: I can't see the same numbers, but I can see Bubba being a key contributor. He showed poise in many key games last season, stretching the field for some deep catches in limited time.

In Weeks 15 and 17, Caldwell graded out his best, according to Pro Football Focus. In the Week 15 game against San Diego, he was targeted 11 times and had six catches for 59 yards and two touchdowns.

Here's the thing: As The Denver Post's Mike Klis pointed out, this is perhaps the deepest wide receiver draft in the past decade. Hard to think Denver won't nab at least one of them in the May 8-10 draft, maybe even in the first round, knowing Wes Welker might not be around forever (or that Caldwell isn't guaranteed to be a stud).

Hitting the bull's-eye. And last but not least, I love this play on words in a recent tweet from @PelicanPierre: "Eric Decker will miss Peyton Manning a lot, but Geno Smith will miss Decker a lot more."

With Air Force, Colorado State, Colorado and Wyoming participating in conference tournaments in Las Vegas this past week, it brought this question to mind: What's the best Vegas-based movie? It's either "The Hangover," "Casino," "Ocean's Eleven" or "Honeymoon In Vegas."

Here are some other responses:

@aaronhartf: The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas? Seriously, I like Ocean's 11 a lot, though.

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

PARIS (AP) — Bye, New York! Ciao, Milan! Bonjour, Paris! The world's largest traveling circus of fashion editors, models, buyers and journalists has descended on the French capital, clutching their metro maps and city guides, to cap the ready-to-wear fashion season. Full Story